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Around the world Jews, and not a few Christians, are preparing to celebrate the biblical festival of Pessach (Passover), the chief of the appointed times given by God to the nation of Israel.

Israel Today went out on the streets of Jerusalem to ask local residents what it means to them to be once again celebrating Passover as a free and sovereign nation restored to its biblical homeland.

Yossi Krisp: “It means liberty, it means freedom, it means family.”

Gal Yerushalmi: “It’s so important to celebrate this here in Israel. We are Jewish and this is our country, and we’re happy for this freedom.”

Beyla Potash: “Passover is the beginning of a nation.”

Yeshurun Luz: Passover means "liberation from the other nations, from being under the rule of other nations, and as a personal liberation from whatever holds me. It has been and it will be one of the most kept holidays of the Jewish people.”

Moshe: “It means remembering the miracles we had when we were slaves in Egypt.”

Israel Levin: “It doesn’t only represent something that happened a few thousand years ago; it represents something that is able to happen to us all the time. In every generation our enemy tries to destroy us and God saves us. But it's not only about national security, it’s also something that relates to each and every person; that there’s power for a person who yearns for freedom from his own personal things that hold them back.”

Moshe Frank: “No pizza… and no bagles!”

Adam Segal: “It’s a holiday of thanking God for our freedoms; spiritual freedom, physical freedom, freedom to develop as people, and freedom from oppression. One of the most important things according to Torah (Bible), is you’re supposed to teach your children that God is the one who took us out from the land of Egypt. And that develops an appreciation from generation to generation to connect with God and connect to the Jewish people, and to be eternally grateful for where we are and where God brought us."

Yisrael Dalayahu: “It means two things; we remember our ancestors who were delivered from Egypt, and we are waiting again to be delivered from all our problems and all our neighbors and the war to come.”

Sarah Goldman: “It represents for me the deep, strong love that God has for His people. That even when we were at the worst spiritual level that one could possibly be in, God came and took us out of Egypt. Not through the back door, but in front of everybody. It shows that He loves us and He cares for us. And even when all seems to fail, God always comes through.”

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